Raman Spectrometer for Surface Identification of Minerals and Organic Compounds on Silicate Planets and Small Solar-System Bodies

摘要

This summary is the final report of work on two-year grant. Our objectives for this project were (1) to demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy is an excellent method for determining mineralogy on the surface of the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies; (2) to construct a prototype of a small Raman spectrometer of the kind we suggest could be used on a lander or rover; and (3) to test the ability of that spectrometer to identify minerals and quantify mineral proportions in lunar materials and complex Martian analog materials, and to identify organic matter in planetary surface materials, all under roughly simulated field conditions. These goals have been met. The principal accomplishments of this PIDDP project have been the following: selection for flight; construction of a breadboard Raman probe; throughput confirmation of the breadboard Raman probe; selection of a laser; a breadboard spectrograph based on our PIDDP design; and overall result.